Garment



Nov. 16, 1954 p Q MAR|DES I 2,694,202

GARMENT Filed April 14, I951 INVENTOR. PHILIP C. MACRlDES BY p 5 ATTY United States Patent GARMENT Philip C. Macrides, Troy, N Y assignor to lluett, feagody & (30., Inc., Troy, N. Y., a corporation of New ork Application April 14, 1951, Serial N6. 221,070

8 claims.- (Cl. 2:115

This invention relates to a new and useful improvement in garments, and more particularly in garments of the type surrounding the che's't and provided with 'sleev'es', such as jackets, coats, pajamas and shirts. V v

The problem of providing a shirt that will permit free dom of forward movement of the arms has been given considerable attention by manufacturers of shirts; but shirts as heretofore made to accomplish this apparently have not met with extensive public acceptance. Gussets of fabric between the sleeves and shirt body at the under armhole have been suggested, also at the rear of the armhole, but gussets so made and locatecl do not have Suf ficient tendency to return to a normally fiat position, so that complete comfort is not experienced by the wearer, and the gaps at the gussets are unsightly. Elastic; in con lbination with gussets of fabric for aid in the return there of also are unsatisfactory, in that the bui'rchiiig of the gusset causes discomfort to .the wearer arid unsig'h'tline's's, and the elastic usually does not remain live and useful throughout the life'of the garment.

An object of the invention is to provide a garment with additional fabric at the armhole locatioris in the back piece to prolong the usable life" ofthe garment.

Another object of the invention is to provide a garment which allows full freedom for forward movements of the arms; which will at ail times present an attractive and relatively normal appearance; which will be exceptionally comfortable to the wearer; which'will' require a, number of manufacturing operations, and which will" be relatively simple and inexpensive.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description of one embodiment of the invention, and the novel features will be hereinafter pointed out in connection with the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. l is a rear elevation of a garment constructed in accordance with this invention;

Fig. '2 is a rear elevation of a part of the garment showing the bias plait construction;

Fig. 3 is a section taken through the bias plait construction showing the relative position of the fabric layers and the construction thereof when the garment is draped in a normal position;

Fig. 4 is a similar section but showing the relative positions of the fabric layers when the sleeves of the garment are moved in a forward direction as when the arms of the wearer are swung forwardly; and

Fig. 5 is an elevation of part of the shirt back before it is coupled to the sleeve and yoke.

In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, the garment selected for illustration is a mans shirt having a back piece 1, sleeves 2 and a yoke 3 across the back at the top, the yoke 3 being connected to the back 1 by a seam 4, the sleeves being connected to the yoke 3 and back 1 by a seam 5 at the usual armhole, and the back 1 being connected at its side edges to the front part of the garment by felling scams 6. This invention relates to an improvement in the back of the shirt or other garment, and its connection to the sleeves at the armhole seam.

The back 1 has its upper corner portions that are connected to the sleeves, modified as shown in Fig. 5 to include extra width that can be folded upon itself to form a bias plait. To this end the back 1 has what may be termed an extension 7 at each upper corner. This extention has approximately the shape shown in Fig. 5, with a concave edge 8 which fits the armhole end of the related sleeve along the seam 5, from the vertical feeling seam be- 2,694,202 Patented Nov. 16, 1954 "ice 2 tween the back 1 and the front parts of garment at the underarm location upwardly to the juncture bf the yoke seam 4 and armhole seam 5. r v v 7 The lower edge of the extension is generally v ishaped with the sides of the V concavely arcuate, and the upper edge of each extensionis also V-shaped with an obtuse angle between approximately straight sides. The extensioii 7 is folded upon one line joining the apexes or vertex'es of the V-sha'p'ed ends, and also folded upon another line joining the junctions of the sides of the V-shaped ends with the body portion of the back 1. Both of these lines of fold are approximately parallel to each other; and oblique to the vertical yarns in the back 1. When the extension 7 is folded to form the plait, the up er edge of the folded extension will be in horizontal alignment with the upper edge of the back 1 and with the lower edge of the yoke 3, being secured by the yoke seam 4. H v

The layers forming eachfold in the plait are stitched together by lines of stitching 9 and 10 (see Figs. 3 and 4) to irnpa'rt permanent creases at the fold lines that will al} ways remain; even though the garment may be laundered. The lower arcuate edge of the folded extension 7 will be in alignment with and secured to the adjacent felling seam 6.

Referring td Figs; 2, 3 and 4, it will be noted that the sleeve of the garment is not joined directly to the shirt back in the usual manner, the bias plait being interposed between said armhole and shirt back forming an exten-' sion' of said back. When the arms are in the normal pfo's'i tions, the bias plaits remainflat. The outer folded edges of the pla'its extend downwardly from points in the yoke seam at the lower edge of the yoke, in a direction oblique to the vertical yarns in the back, each plait at a point intermediate of its ends, passing close to the adjacent arc'uate armhole seam. r v I V When the ari n's of the wearer a're swung forwardly,jthe foldededges of the plaits between their anchored ends will partially open and assume positions as shown in Fig. 4. The edges of the'plaits, due to the stitched folded edges; and the anchorage of the ends ofthe plaits, will urge the plaits back into'folded positions when the armsreturn to normal positions. Ijt will also be noted that addition of this bias plait construction as shown and herein'described ea y e t e 'nm ri is rainj i he g rm n at i b of the critical locations,thereby materially increasing" the usable life of the garment.

It will be understood that various changes in the details and arrangements of parts, which have been herein described and illustrated in order to explain the nature of the invention may be made by those skilled in the art within the principle and scope of the invention as explained in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A garment of the type having a chest surrounding portion and provided with arm holes, sleeves attached to the chest surrounding portion at the arm holes, a yoke seam extending across the back of the chest surrounding portion between the rear upper portions of the arm holes, and side seams extending downwardly from the bottoms of the arm holes, the back of said chest surrounding portion immediately below said yoke seam having at each of its upper side edges, a lateral extension, the outer end edge of which is attached to the adjacent sleeve at the rear of the adjacent arm hole, each extension being folded inwardly upon itself as a straight plait, with the outer, free folded edge of the plait extending in a straight line from a point in the yoke seam that is spaced well inwardly from the adjacent arm hole to a point in the adjacent side seam that is spaced well below the bottom of the adjacent arm hole, and between those points extending across an edge portion of the adjacent arm hole, said outer, free folded edge intermediate of its ends being unattached to the under layer of the plait.

2. A garment of the type having a chest surrounding portion with arm holes, sleeves attached to the chest surrounding portion at the arm holes, said chest surrounding portion having a yoke seam extending across the back of the chest surrounding portion between the upper portions of the arm holes, and side seams extending downwardly from the bottom portions of the arm holes, the back portion of the garment below the yoke seam, having at each side thereof and in the portion adjacent to the arm hole, a lateral extension folded inwardly and backwardly upon itself as a plait, with the outer free folded edge of the plait extending from a point in the yoke seam that is spaced well inwardly from the adjacent arm hole, to a point in the adjacent side seam that is spaced well below the bottom of the adjacent arm hole, and between said points extending close to the adjacent arm hole, each of said outer, free folded edges being unattached to the under layer in the portion intermediate of its ends and close to the adjacent arm hole, those layers of the plait which form each of the outer and inner folded edges being stitched together in a direction lengthwise of, and close to but spaced slightly from that folded edge.

3. A garment of the type having a chest surrounding portion with arm holes, sleeves attached thereto at said arm holes, a yoke seam in the back of said chest surrounding portion extending between the upper rear portions of the arm holes and side seams, the back portion of the chest surrounding portion immediately below said yoke seam having at each side thereof a lateral side extension secured at its outer end edge to the adjacent sleeve at the adjacent arm hole and folded crosswise of itself inwardly and backwardly as a straight plait, each of said plaits extending at an acute angle to the vertical yarns of the back portion between a point in the yoke seam spaced inwardly from the adjacent arm hole to a point in the adjacent side seam spaced well below the arm hole, the layers of the plait which form each folded edge thereof being stitched together lengthwise of, and close to but spaced slightly from that folded edge, and each of said folded edges being otherwise unattached to the other layers of the back portion between said points at the ends of the folded edges.

4. An article of apparel formed of a chest surrounding portion with side seams, arm holes at the upper ends of the side seams, and a back piece with a yoke seam extending horizontally across it and sleeves connected at their upper ends to the chest surrounding portion at the arm holes by arm hole seams, said back piece having a straight plait at each side thereof, immediately below the yoke seam and adjacent each arm hole seam, each plait extending from a point in the adjacent side seam upwardly and angularly to the vertical yarns of the back piece for more than three-fourths of the vertical dimension of the adjacent arm hole to the adjacent end of the yoke seam at a point spaced well from the adjacent arm hole, the outer free edge of the plait, intermediate of its ends, passing in close proximity to the arm hole seam along the rear side thereof.

ill)

4 5. An article of apparel of the type surrounding the chest and provided with sleeves, yoke seams, arm hole seams and side seams, such as jackets, coats, pajamas and shirts, having in the body back piece at each side thereof the fabric folded upon itself in layers to form a straight plait extending angularly to the vertical yarns of the body back piece from a side seam at a point materially below the arm hole seam upwardly at least to more than three-fourths of the vertical dimension of the sleeve at the arm hole seam end and spaced well inwardly from the arm hole seam at a point three-fourths of the vertical dimension of the sleeve at the arm hole seam end, the layers of the folds at the outside and inside edges of the plait being stitched together close to but spaced slightly from the edges of the plait.

6. A garment of the type having a chest surrounding portion with arm holes and front and back panels, and sleeves attached to the chest surrounding portion at the arm holes, the back panel of the garment having, at each side thereof and in the portion thereof adjacent to the arm hole, a straight plait extending from the adjacent side of the garment well below the arm hole upwardly and angularly inwardly to a point in the back panel which is above the mid-height of the rear side of the arm hole and spaced inwardly therefrom only part way to the midcenter of the back panel of the garment, said plait having its layers secured together at its ends and free to open substantially between its ends.

7. The garment substantially as set forth in claim 6, and each plait passing in close proximity to the rear of the adjacent arm hole.

8. The garment substantially as set forth in claim 6, the layers forming each fold line along the sides of the plait at its inside and outside folded edges between the plait ends, being stitched together close to but spaced slightly from the line of fold to urge the plait back into its flat, closed position after the plait is opened by pulling it toward the adjacent arm hole and then releasing it.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,703,808 Wright Feb. 26, 1929 1,743,082 Hart Jan. 7, 1930 2,159,408 Siegel May 23, 1939 2,367,843 Roy Ian. 23, 1945 2,457,356 Enck Dec. 28, 1948 

